Tim Stephens is current CEO of Protech Systems. His knowledge of safety and machinery comes from having worked on and being exposed to machinery at a young age. He brings all the experience and knowledge that has been passed down to him from his grandfather, father and uncle and applies it to a practical and hands on approach to Guarding and Safety, which is what makes Protech Systems what it is today.

Before it began: in 1950, Dan Stephens learned his trade as a tool and die maker. He became a leading machine tool Sales Engineer in Southern California in the late 1960’s. At this time people started asking about OSHA compliance on punch presses, so Dan teamed up with electrical maintenance friends. Using what was known of current OSHA and ANSI standards, industry custom and practice, the "alpha" generation press control developed. They formed a company called Fredric Engineering. hired a control builder, a part time secretary, an installer, and his son Jim as a Sales Engineer who had a background in accident investigation and systems safety out of the Air Force in 1972. The new company grew, but limited itself to press control sales.

Dan split off from Fredric in '76 to form a company called ASTCO, Inc. He made automatic and fixed guarding and originally sold them back to Fredric, but after a couple of years totally went his own. In 1978 Jim ended his control design and sales manager job with Fredric.

PROTECH SYSTEMS was founded in 1978 with the hope of combining ASTCO's mechanical guarding strengths with Protech's intention of expanding into the electronic protection field. In the mean time Jim invited Mike his brother, who used his mechanical engineering skills, to help start Protech. Finally in 1986, Dan closed down ASTCO, and joined his two sons full time at Protech. Jim’s son Tim joined the company full time in 1994 after receiving his B.S. in Management and working in the aircraft industry. Tim took over as CEO in 2002 and brings his experiences of growing up in a family dedicated to safety with him. This union of family strengths and experience in industry has provided the solid foundation and direction for the company. Protech Systems has now been maintained and invested by three generations of the Stephens Family, with the goal of becoming the industry leader in manufacturing all types of Machine Tool Safety Guarding.

FACILITIES
PROTECH moved from it's 6,500 SF South Gate original facility to it's present 20,000 SF Chino, California location in July of 1989. We have approximately 4,000 SF of office and engineering space, with Safety Training and Display areas for Seminars. Approximately 12,000 SF of our facility is dedicated to the manufacturing of our more than 50 products. PROTECH has developed complete guarding, automation and retrofit solutions for punch presses, press brakes, shears, riveting machines, rolls, and perimeter guarding systems for robots.

Highlighted in the PROTECH product line, in order of development are:
1. OSHA and ANSI press and press brake controls
2. Type A and B Movable Barrier guards 
3. Brake Performance Monitors 
4. The Checkmate Riveter guard 
5. Tonnage Monitors and Die Protectors 
6. The EAGLE EYE light curtain safety device and Hawk Eye perimeter guard
7. Aluminum extruded Safety Blocks (adjustable and wedge styles)
8. Table and Band Saw Guards 
9. The Feather Touch hand control stations
10. The Sparrow general purpose light curtains
11. Digital Motion Press Controls
12. The Work Station productivity work cell safety device

PROTECH products are available nationally and internationally, through independent representative companies, Thomas "On-Line" and direct sales where none of the prior methods is available or practical. Many of the products are demonstrated at various trade shows, or they may be seen via scheduled factory tours or briefly in this website. All products are available with or without factory installation. For repairs, we strive to have the best service in the business by having a 24hr. turn-around policy.

PROTECH conducts safety seminars on machine tool guarding to assist companies in meeting OSHA guidelines regarding hazards in machine operations. These seminars provide classroom instruction and hands-on demonstration using production machines on our factory floor. Classes are held at PROTECH'S Chino California plant, or arrangements can be made for on-site seminars or training or even plant machine safety surveys and providing quotations.